ELBERETH'Itzalitako Izarren Lurraldea'GAUEKO ARIMAKBasque Country's very own Thrash Metal band Elbereth make their third album come to life with epic riffing from three guitarists (one vocalist), a bassist and sensational drumming skills from (obviously) the drummer. Uniquely singing in their native Basque language, you cannot dub them Spanish for obvious reasons, however you can call them a breath of fresh air for the Basque Metal scene, whilst the language barrier maybe a tad challenging, the overall reception of this album is a beautiful one, utilizing the modern Thrash sound and basing it on Metallica style vocals and percussion, 'Itzalitako Izarren Lurraldea' is one album that any Thrash Metal fan should have in their collection, simply inspirational.

There seems to be at times, albums that come out with basic compositions that have already been worked out and at other times there seems to be total copying going on, but when you take Eye Beyond Sight into account and their sophomore album 'The Sun & The Flood', you clearly get the feeling the drumming is a little too basic at times and yet the vocals and riffs do the killing. As for the Slovakian quintet, the Groove-laden-Thrash Metal sound they somewhat achieve is good enough for recognition but it's songs like 'From Stars To Scum' that deliver the almighty blow, that alongside the technical intro to 'That Hurts' and so the overall perception is that this band can deliver the right composition but some songs let them down, referring back to 'That Hurts, this would appeal highly to fans of Lamb of God as it kicks in that 'walk with me in hell' power of brutality, overall this album has thrills and spills, a roller-coaster in disguise.

[7.5] RHYS STEVENSON

CNOC AN TURSA'The Giants Of Auld'CANDLELIGHTDeep within the caverns of the hallowed cairngorms arises four musicians with the ambition to revive ancient Scottish folklore, henceforth the quartet Cnoc An Tursa conjure up a potion that druids will forever envy, 'The Giants Of Auld' delivers a solid display of Black Metal, laced with Folk Metal elements and little bits of Celtic influence all the while, whilst most songs on their debit album are of the fast and catchy guild, there are some pure Folk metal elements to trip the atmosphere into two seperate halves, none the less 'The Giants Of Auld' is an album that will see Cnoc An Tursa explode onto the international scene and are sure to gain themselves a host of new fans, powering forward the ancient Scottish traditions, 'The Giants Of Auld' is for fans of Winterfylleth, Ancient Rites and Kyrgyzstan band Darkestrah. 'The Giants Of Auld' will be a great start to 2013 and is sure to be an instantaneous hit. 'The Giants Of Auld' is out via Candlelight on 25th February 2013.

[9] RHYS STEVENSON

PERCEPTION OF DARKNESS'Shades & Shadows' + 'Beyond Wonderland'Two releases, one eclectic sound, the mixing of Industrial Metal in the vein of Deathstars, The Kovenant and the Blackened Gothic Metal feel of Aborym and Gothminister, starting off with the album 'Shades & Shadows', what is to be expected is what is not actually given, instead Perception Of Darkness' effort exceeds expectations, this is a band with a sound they know they want to create, a sound that has not been developed before and so when you take into account their demo as well 'Beyond Wonderland', both releases deal the band the righteous justice and in fact highlight the utmost reason to why this band deserve to be signed, weaving together synthetic elements with the harsh brutality of Industrial Black Metal and topping it off with some very harmonious vocals, no wonder Perception of Darkness is Sweden's newest hot property.

[8] + [7.5] RHYS STEVENSON

MORPHESIA'Black Metal Demo 2012'Credit is always due to those who take upon music on their own accord and especially when it's their first ever demo, for Californian one-man black metal project Morphesia, it's more than producing music, it's producing a distinct sound, what with the furious outrageous blastbeats caressing the grim shrieking and the raw atmosphere and the feeling of a bitter frostbite, no wonder this could be the dawning of a new threat to dislodge the false monstrosities that thrive within the metal society, true to it's word and title, this is 'Black Metal' and this is the revolution that Morphesia is pioneering, and you thought California was terrified by earthquakes? This is far worse than an earthquake, this is a goddamn apocalyptic storm.

In perfect tune for an explosive start to Schysma's career, as the Italian quintet deliver an emphatic display of intricately weaved melodies and razor-sharp Progressive Metal that is as elegant as the creativity of the once-was Italian renaissance composers, much like the modernized version of Rossini in terms of the power and level of complexity induced on the band's debut EP 'Imperfect Dichothomy'. Crafted in the vision of lashing electronic elements to the well-cemented Progressive Metal body and in doing so ends up creating a sound that can be described as good as crossing Rammstein with Dream Theater, in fact one word to sum up the whole release would be 'unbeatable. Schysma are definitely going places in 2013; a band to watch.

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

TEODASIA'Upwards'Making their debut album speak one more word than a fairytale story is Italian female-fronted metal band Teodasia with their luscious production 'Upwards' which binds together sexy symphonies, four melodic maestro's and a ton of epic, fantasy metal. Playing music in the combined style of Within Temptation - cross - Epica and layering it with their own twist of powerful ballads, booming musical compositions and an artwork to match the dramatics of the overall masterpiece. Delving into the finer details and you find the true passion that Italian Gothic Metal bands seem to have, and so moving into 2013 it is time for Teodasia to move 'Upwards' into the heavens, for this is the 'Symphoratic metal' (Symphonic Operatic) band the Italian Metal scene has been longing for.[9] RHYS STEVENSON

ANTHIRYA'Promo Demo 2012'From the island that brought the well known Sicilian pizza comes a new tasty slice of music in the form of newbies Anthirya and their premier 2012 demo, whilst Italy has a renowned sense of producing sensational Gothic Metal acts, none have come as soothing as this new quintet, weaving together intricate ballads with operatic oomph and delicate musical compositions that would leave classical artists like Rossini raving for more. Mixing together sensational operatic vocals with a solid and formidable backbone sound, Anthirya delivers their own unique style with influences coming from Nightwish and Within Temptation, but will also appeal to fans of Therion.

If 'The Blood March' was to be a soundtrack to a film, the film would make an international gross profit of $0, there is nothing wrong with the band, just the style of music, melodic power / death metal? The two are so far apart that daylight shines in between them and so as The Approach & The Execution released their debut last year, it beckons the question of whether it was a right decision to do so at all. Just as ill-felt when a tornado tears through a city, killing hundreds, the same is applied to this album, the senses are left in a coma and consequently they need rehabilitation, if only soundproof ear plugs were available, job done.

[2] RHYS STEVENSON

FORLORN PATH'Intifada'New Jersey mob Forlorn Path made their second attempt at delivering the awe inspiring EP they so crave with enough gusto to blow hurricanes backwards, just. The brutality and pace on 'Intifada' is enough to match the power of a thousand rampaging bulls but only sissy bulls as the final detail on the EP is one to drag the whole release down, in short the vocals need vast improvement. As for the music itself, it's clean and crisp edge gives Forlorn Path that sound needed to develop torture at all levels, even so it's on restriction due to the disease it brings.

If this was the music to put anyone into solidarity confinement, then the main protagonists Gutfed must have delivered some outdated kebabs, that said the Turkish Brutal Death / Grindcore trio dish up a juicy selection of pig squeal vocals amongst gore-laden audio clips, whether the screaming was from pure sadomasochistic torture or from the seductive nature of this debut album remains disputed, as for 'The Reign Of Pure Madness & Contagious Perversion' it contains technically orchestrated drumming that would make any natural reflex seem like a basic action, that alongside cutting-edge riffs and vocals that spit venom, this is Turkey's most darkest, extreme and yet goriest time.

If the Amish community in the USA ever caught a whiff of this, all hell would let loose. Simply because the 2012 demo by Ohio's Black / Death Metal newbies Black Blood Stigmata is of anti-religious traits, whilst conventionally the music is nothing new, it is a well conceived demo, the sound and quality is there and it is sure to improve in time, but to be bitten by a cold and harsh wind from a band that is only two members is an outstanding factor, none the less the demo delivers a raw atmosphere that is sure to please fans of Darkthrone. As for the band, they are sure to go further in times ahead, as long as they keep the correct chemistry flowing.

[7] RHYS STEVENSON

DISTILLERY'Omens Of Our Purgatory'Possibly the next metal band from Greece to explode onto the global scene with great intentions raging around their very existence, this is Death Metal and it's come in the form of Distillery, the latest ten-legged beast to emerge from the depths of the acropolis. Unleashing their fury in their second demo 'Omens Of Our Purgatory', the five-piece ensemble decimate a sonic explosion of brutal and gut-wrenching Death Metal, and yet seem to have the impact of a jet engine fire up, blasting the listener into total oblivion with a fist of powerful proportions, just don't expect this band to die away, this is new real deal.

[9] RHYS STEVENSON

TRANSGRESION'...De Sangre Y Represion'Well when you mix the Spanish language with the fast, slick sounds of Speed Thrash Metal, the result is evidently grand, and Transgresion's debut demo is no exception, this is perhaps the sound to expose the Puerto Rican Metal scene to the masses, '...De Sangre Y Represion' delivers the heavy, harsh brutality of Metallica and is chained up to the fast, slick gliding delivered by Motorhead, mixing a modern sound to the affray, Transgresion are a band with enough talent to sink a ship and with '...De Sangre Y Represion' now firmly out in the wild, there is no reason why this band either should not receive a great deal of attention or more importantly get signed, no reason whatsoever.

[10] RHYS STEVENSON

DELIVERANCE'Hallowed Rites'Two years, two demo's, one name, Deliverance. The traditionalists of Finnish Heavy Metal clamber onto the band wagon with their Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Alice Cooper and Judas Priest influence sound, whilst it's nothing generally new, the major aesthetics are there for it to be a well made demo, even Santa Claus could not make toy's even better and he's been doing it since these lads were little rockers. Smothering their classic sound with the lyrical forms that Alice Cooper knows all to well about, Deliverance are pushing the old style to the new front and in doing so are keeping the roots of metal truly alive. Dubbing their music AOR (Anti-christ oriented rock) and developing the atmosphere to blast gaping holes in the Lapland landscape, Finnish metal has it's firm 'Hallowed Rites' established in the very core of the NWOFHM movement.

[7.5] RHYS STEVENSON

ANTHOLOGIES'Alpha'Apparently Italian winters are so harsh that they turn everyone into Gothic musicians and bring despair into their emotions, but when music is bestowed upon the fortunate five, Anthologies come out of the darkness like a pack of wolves on their first hunt. Just like the killing stage, the music brings an atmosphere of bleak despair, darkness and undisputed bitterness, that said the debut EP 'Alpha' is a classic in this style of metal, it extracts the weaknesses and patches it up with a fresher, modern approach to the established sound, with 'Alpha' now firmly out in the wilds, much is expected from this band in the next few years to come.

Women when singing in the Heavy Metal / Hard Rock style seem to bring that sexy edge to the music genre, even so when Belgian quintet Hell City pluck out the right notes to produce their debut album, the inaugural fact is that the musical product is far sweeter than the luxurious chocolates that Belgium is famed for. 'Demons To Rest' delivers that sonic streak that lights up every major road in Europe as to emanate the beauty of route 66. With elements that will entice fans of the older style of Metallica and Iron Maiden, Hell City are destined to make themselves known and valiant musicians of the New Wave of Belgian Heavy Metal movement.

Brimming melancholy and yet there seems to be a lack of taming going on, as if the wild hyenas got their first whiff of methanol, that implied to the debut album by Italian Prog novices Wood of Light says that this is a release that has gone overboard, sure 'Feelikescaping' produces this powerful element of high-noted singing and sharp-edge music, but the overall product is one left to be desired, well, not entirely desired, but more so one with question marks all over the place. Songs like 'Free Body of a Lifer's Soul' delivers the face-melting feeling that is expected whereas the song previous to that 'Mr lone star' is the exact example that drags the album down to below standards of what is expected. Even so songs like 'The Man Who Knows His Fate' and 'R.gregory's Perception' are on the same wavelength as Finnish band H.I.M, with the slow and emotionally charged composition, but in the end 'Feelikescaping' is still a questionable album.

[5.5] RHYS STEVENSON

APOCALYPTIC SALVATION'Skulls' Collector'These Italian stalwarts should be releasing an album by now, their third demo carries the right music constructed for an album, face-smashing and iron-bent Death / Thrash Metal pummels the surrounding silence with a fist so sharp, any cookery knife would become degraded to simply a basic letter opener. Apocalyptic Salvation sends furious agility and heavy brutality down one channel and that is enough to spark off any moshpit into complete over-drive. The third demo 'Skulls' Collector' belts out four tracks of solidarity and complexity, together which would make AC Milan look like the San Marino national football team, if only the drumming on this release was the heartbeat of the Italian national football team, imagine the goal rate.

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

WAKING THEO'Reborn'Prepare for the almighty storm on 13th February 2013 as Yorkshire's Thrashcore specialists Waking Theo make their welcomed return with their upcoming EP 'Reborn', pumped out with three tracks that carry a health warning as to say 'get the morphine ready, this is going to sting you like a bitch', weaving together a musical blockade with guns firing as the Thrash Metal delivers the elegant beauty and agile musicianship whilst the Metalcore links together a truckload of brutality and hard-hitting heaviness. This is the soundtrack to get the Thrashcore movement of it's knees, ram over the plethora of metalcore and deathcore styles and instate a new sound that will send earthquakes rippling down every street in the hallowed city of Leeds and derail trains at Harrogate, since the departure of their original vocalist, the sound has improved and Waking Theo are 'Reborn', designed for fans of Sylosis, Architects, Bleed From Within and August Burns Red, this is the new shit, this is Waking Theo.

Just when the Indian Metal scene was just breaking out into the international scene, 2012 witnesses the debut album from New Delhi Black Metal band 1833 AD (coincidentally the year British slavery was abolished), marching out of the Taj Mahal with a fist of fury and vocals so dark, the spices of India could be considered obsolete, for the music itself is a spicy concoction of oppressive hatred and classic Black Metal with ethnic sounds added in for the full flavour. As for the album 'My Dark Symphony', it will not go unnoticed and is sure to give the band that epic boost needed to challenge Demonic Resurrection for the crown of best Indian Metal band of all time.

Christianity to Brazil is like a plectrum is to a guitarist, essential, well at least partly as it gives the faithful teachings but more so gives the musician another religion to align with the religion called music. Enter Brazilian quintet Allos with their Progressive Power Metal battalion sound and their successful debut album 'Spiritual Battle', strap your belt tightly as the band takes you on a whirlwind journey through the mystics of the Amazon rainforest, the beautiful game of soccer and to the roots, bloody roots of this south American nation. Guided by the eccentricity on the keyboard, Allos are certain to become the next metal export to the world.

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

ARCHAIOS'The Distant'DARK CANVAS RECORDS

Who'd of thought that the second outing by Archaios was to be an international hit? Well we certainly did. Hailing from the Dominican Republic, this Melodic Death Metal machine battled their way into the international spotlight and as a result have produced a rather technically improvised piece of elegant musicianship, it's brutal, it's pacey and it certainly deserves to be on any metal fan's shelf, 'The Distant' delivers nine tracks of the most pulsating, spine-snapping metal that the Caribbean has ever seen, so before thinking these noble lands are all about pirates, rum and tropical beaches, just wait till the sharks come in off 'The Distant' coastline and attack your senses in the horde known as Archaios.

Spain has a history of spewing out Thrash Metal bands that fail at the first hurdle, but ever seldom does a band reach the final hurdle before slipping up, Beast however took the easy way and clambered their way into the Spanish metal scene with their sophomore EP 'Thrash Metal Propaganda', taking your classic 80's Thrash Metal style apart and adding some more slower and moodier feelings to the sound, whilst not as fast as Slayer, the music could be compared to 'Creeping Death' by Metallica, however with that in mind, and taking into account the lyric topics, one can see that this nuclear production is awashed with radioactive metal, so toxic that the listener may be inclined to headbang, such is a law that guards the 'Thrash Metal Propaganda'.

Residing in one of England's most medieval counties, Cryptic Age of North Yorkshire are a tough puzzle to crack, playing under a band name you would associate with technical music and instead laying Power / Folk Metal, yet there is little bits of Folk Metal here and there; albeit the double bass drumming for which could be linked to Pagan Metal, but when taking the whole of their debut album 'Sounds Of Infinity' apart, there are bits here and there to suggest is some Folk Metal. The vocals definitely add that gallant feeling, the atmosphere is as folkloric as gathering around a druid's ceremony and the music itself does interlink at times to create something rather magical, it's one of those albums that has a high after a low and so as 'Sounds Of Infinity' pushes the band into the wider metal scene, their next release will be an interesting one.

So the time has come for the Peterborough / Essex quartet (now trio since Josh's departure) Kaine to deliver their best shot and by far has that been achieved, lacing together their unique sound of Heavy Thrash Metal (or as they call it Legendary Speed Metal) with an artwork reminiscent of the Norse mythological land of Niflheim and yet there does seem to feel a little bit like a Folk Metal atmosphere surrounding this album. Loaded with short and lengthy epics, from breakneck-Thrash to melodies encased in their Heavy Metal department, Kaine deliver 'Falling Through Freedom' with one notable arsenal, Dennis Stratton of whom is an ex-member of Iron Maiden and has considerably given this band the utmost exposure.

As elegant as flamenco and as dramatic as a bull fight, Valencian octet Metal Cambra deliver their first ever compilation of their best instrumental works, fusing together Progressive Folk Metal elements with classical music in a sort of Gaelic influence and Iberian sound, thus producing an eclectic mix of different musical styles. 'Metal Cambra Recopilatorio' is without any doubt a perfect accompaniment to any dancing undertaken that comes from Spanish or Latin American background whilst also serving up as more importantly a wondrous masterpiece, from start to finish Metal Cambra keep the listener on their feet, simply one of a kind.

War Metal makes its mark on the Swiss Alps when Nansis deliver their premier Black Metal demo to the masses in devastating form, 'Exorde' plays very much into the hands of the European theater of WW2 and exhibits a unique combination of having both French and English lyrics on the release. Cold and frostbitten, Nansis' 'Exorde' is a release without compromise and as such crucifies anyone who spits out against Black Metal. Similar to bands like Carpathian Forest and even more England's Eastern Front, Nansis explore the darkest depths of Swiss history and lashes it with the complexity of modern Black Metal. 'Exorde' delivers six tracks of what is promising and posing as possibly the next big Black Metal band out of Switzerland.

The global metal scene better strap in for this one, Mexican Progressive Metal quartet Neural FX deliver an atomic bomb-of-an-album, their debut release 'Abreaction' delivers sensational vocals and majestic sounds that can only be drawn in comparison to the titans of Symphony X and Dream Theater. Harmonious vocals lead the way on this breathtaking release that you wouldn't find anywhere else, even so the guitars layer some ballistic riffs that make any taco bell chilli powder obsolete, it is that explosive, fusing traditional Mexican elements to the rapid heaviness of the Progressive Metal sound, Neural FX are to lead the Mexican Metal scene to the masses, simply outstanding.

From time to time there comes a band that is ideal to follow up behind another band in the same country, as for Lacuna Coil they can budge over to let Italy's new highly anticipated Gothic Metal band take charge, enter Sin Deadly Sin and their mind-blowing debut album 'Fall From Heaven', featuring heavenly angelic vocals and dark atmospheric music that acts as a blanket of illustrious beauty, Gothic ambiance and a line-up that pieces together their own musical puzzle. Amidst the whole connectivity between the romance side of the Italian culture lies a force waiting to explode upon the European Metal scene and as Sin Deadly Sin begin their ascent as the new face of Italian Metal, it will not take long before we could see the band break into the major album charts; it deserves that level of attention!